Steve Davis, left, stands with Oklahoma coach Barry Switzer and running back Joe Washington after after the Sooners beat Michigan in the 1976 Orange Bowl to win a national title. / AP

by Bart Jansen, USA TODAY

by Bart Jansen, USA TODAY

Federal safety investigators reported "phenomenal success" Monday in removing a private jet from houses where it crashed in South Bend, Ind., killing two people including former University of Oklahoma football quarterback Steve Davis.

The plane had made two approaches to the airport, followed by an aborted landing before crashing into the houses about 4:20 p.m. Sunday, according to Todd Fox, an investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board. The plane's voice recorder has been recovered and is being shipped to Washington, D.C., Fox said.

"For the next few days, we're going to be focusing on the recovery of the wreckage from the accident site to a secure location here at the South Bend Regional Airport," Fox said.

"I do have to say we've had phenomenal success" in removing the plane from the residences on Monday and said it should be completed by close of business Tuesday, Fox said.

One of the casualties was Davis, 60, who as quarterback led the Oklahoma Sooners college football team to national championships in 1974 and 1975.

St. Joseph County Coroner Randy Magdalinski identified the casualties as Davis and Wesley Caves, 58, both of Tulsa, Okla. Two passengers and one person on the ground were also injured.

The jet had left Riverside Airport in Tulsa and crashed near South Bend Regional Airport, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Roland Herwig in Oklahoma City said.

"Our mission is not simply to understand or determine a probable cause. It is to identify any kind of safety issues that could be related to the accident, to keep this kind of accident from occurring again," Fox said. "We are not going to speculate on a probable cause."

Fox told reporters at a news conference that investigators would remain on the scene for three or four more days. The plane should be removed from the houses by the end of Tuesday, he said.

South Bend Fire Department says utilities are back on in the neighborhood and all but eight homes are occupied.

Fox said results of the investigation could take 12 months to report.

Caves owned the jet and had a pilot's license, but it was not immediately known if he was flying the plane when it crashed.

Davis compiled a 32-1-1 record as the Sooners' starter from 1973 to 1975. The Sooners went 11-0 in 1974, then won the national title again the following year after going 11-1.

It was a storybook career for Davis, who finished with one of the best records for a starting quarterback in the sport's history after a humble beginning at Oklahoma. He grew up in Sallisaw in the eastern part of the state and developed a love for the Sooners.

"I will never get away from the fact that I was an Oklahoma quarterback. I will never get away from the fact that I only lost one game," Davis said in the 2008 book The Die-Hard Fan's Guide to Sooner Football. "All of those things are a part of my legacy and my history. I am very thankful for what happened. I don't know that I would trade my career for any other quarterback that has ever played at OU."

A product of a different era, Davis hardly had to throw a pass to be the star quarterback in Oklahoma's dominant wishbone offense. He completed just 40 percent of his passes during his career for 2,034 yards, but only attempted about six passes per game during Oklahoma's back-to-back championship seasons.

With All-American Joe Washington carrying the ball, the Sooners rushed 813 times in 1974 - averaging an NCAA record 73.9 attempts per game - and amassing 438.8 yards on the ground. Davis' school records for consecutive starts (34) and career victories (32) were surpassed only last season by Landry Jones, who started every game the past three seasons plus most of 2009 while replacing injured Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford.

Contributing: The Associated Press.

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